Planeswalkers

The Sack of Random Junk

Category:

container

Description:

The Sack of Random Junk is a plain brown canvas bag with no distinguishing features. It appears to have a volume of about 8 L. Its actual contents are . . . truly random.

Bio:

During his travels, Sharlton was once pressed into the service of Shapeless Frao, a god of chaos. His primary duty was to carry the luggage of Shapeless Frao’s alleged daughter Cisera. He was also given Shapeless Frao’s sacred Sack of Random Junk. Once per day, the Sack grants a common, everyday item to the first person who reaches inside. It could be a set of socket wrenches, a cheeseburger, or a rubber garden hose. The Sack is wildly unpredictable as to what is found inside, but it is always something plain and ordinary relative to the area where it is in.

When the quest was over, Sharlton moved on from that plane, but Shapeless Frao’s servants never asked for the Sack back. Maybe the chaos god wanted it to be out causing mischief on the planes all along. Who can know the purposes of a chaos god?

Rules of the Sacred Sack of Random Junk

What items the Sack of Random Junk gives out are completely arbitrary. The sack has no intellect of its own, but it defies attempts to be predicted, controlled, negotiated with or otherwise managed. The sack does not obey “rules” or have “patterns”, but Sharlton has noticed the following tendencies:
• The Sack of Random Junk produces one “item” that is easy to transport by a grown human. It does not seem to have restrictions on mass or volume besides “easy to transport”. It can produce items with multiple components, such as a wristwatch or a cheeseburger. It may also produce a batch item that is composed of many distinct parts, such as a set of socket wrenches.
• The sack follows local day & night cycles. If there is any question about how long an item produced by the sack will last, it is in the ballpark of 12 hours.
• The sack derives its definition of common and mundane from the local area. It will give a Reuben sandwich in Tel Aviv, but not a cheeseburger (not kosher). Similarly, it will not give a Blu-Ray player in a medieval village. Keep in mind that definitions of “local” and “mundane” can still be quite subjective.
• The sack does not give out animals, living or dead, alive or in part. It will give animal derived products, such as wool sweaters or cheeseburgers. It will also give things such as potted ferns or active culture yogurt, which are “alive” but not animal.
• The sack does not repeat itself within a short time frame. If it gives a cheeseburger, it’s not going to give another cheeseburger for a while. Since the sack can give out almost anything, these repeats seem to be more about breaking predictability than anything else. (Never repeating itself would, after all, qualify as a rule.)
• The sack only gives weapons when weapons are mundane, such as on the floor of a gun show.
• The sack may not be used as a source of income. The sack can produce highly durable goods, but they always disappear when their time is up. The sack never produces anything that can be bartered for a substantial amount. Similarly, the sack cannot be relied on as a source of nutrients in times of privation. (Food produced is nutritious and filling, but the sack is not a Pantry of Random Junk).
• Sticking your head into the sack reveals it is opaque and watertight, but not airtight. The Sack of Random Junk may not be used as a flotation device or self contained breathing apparatus. It will not give an item until you take your head out and put your hand in.
• Using the sack as a storage container will interfere with the sack’s other uses until all items have been removed from the sack. Neither can a generated item be accidentally dumped or kicked out of the sack. You have to deliberately stick your hand in and take out the item. Once you touch it, you’re stuck with whatever it is for the next twelve hours.
• The sack does not produce brand name items. It will give a power drill, but not a Black & Decker drill. Food & drinks produced by the sack are similarly generic.
• If the sack is turned inside out, it looks and acts just the same.
The Sack of Random Junk is not a universal problem solver. It may be used to test the resourcefulness of the party (How many ways can they MacGuyver a spool of dental floss?) It is meant to be colorful, but not problematic or abusive.